chapter 33
[Yesterday around 8 p.m., individuals known as serial killers and robbers surrendered themselves in groups.]
[It has been revealed that many of those previously labeled as criminals were forced into crime because their families were held hostage, or they had been falsely accused….]
[The police have announced that they will now carefully investigate which cases were false charges and who the real culprits are….]
[Those who surrendered declared that they would atone by fighting on the front lines from now on….]
The morning after we went to the amusement park and I’d sent out the doll for a little mischief.
Yeon Mirae, my mother, and I were eating breakfast in the living room while watching the news.
At that moment, Mirae quietly asked me:
“Is that… by any chance, because of yesterday?”
She was asking if this was related to me sending out the doll after coming home from the amusement park. I gave a silent nod.
But perhaps my mother had heard Mirae’s voice, because she asked us:
“Hm? Yesterday? What happened?”
“Ah, well. On our way back from the amusement park yesterday, there was a checkpoint because of a serial killer.”
Mirae covered smoothly for me.
Meanwhile, the news kept spilling out new information.
[It has been revealed that the Artist, who appeared during the Yeouido incident and the large-scale supermarket hostage crisis, is deeply involved in this case….]
[It turns out that the one who personally rescued the hostages and informed the falsely accused of the truth was none other than the Artist. Let’s go to our reporter on the scene….]
At the mention of the Artist, my mother also turned her attention back to the news.
Naturally so—she had been a victim of the supermarket hostage crisis and was one of those saved by the Artist.
Thanks to that, my mother, while not exactly a fan, held a favorable view of the Artist.
‘… I wonder how she’d react if she knew that Artist was actually me….’
Not that I had any intention of revealing it.
As I thought that, something amusing came up on the news.
[The police and prosecution acknowledged that the Artist saved lives, but emphasized that in a nation governed by law, private punishment is strictly illegal. Therefore, the Artist has been declared wanted.]
Both my mother’s and Mirae’s expressions hardened at that.
A wanted notice.
In other words, the Artist had just been declared a criminal.
‘Truly amusing people, aren’t they.’
I could already guess what the bigwigs were thinking.
We can turn you into a criminal overnight.
So if you don’t want to stay a criminal, submit to us.
And in this case, the ones who’d be blamed for turning a hero into a criminal wouldn’t be the high-ranking officials pulling the strings, but the ordinary police and prosecutors.
‘This is exactly why the high and mighty are so irritating.’
They always shift the inconvenience onto others in ways that don’t harm themselves.
Even in the memories I retained, many strong individuals, annoyed by their pressure, had simply emigrated.
On the surface it weakened national power, but from the bigwigs’ perspective, it was nothing more than driving away those they couldn’t control. Hardly a loss.
They even went as far as branding those who left to escape oppression as traitors….
‘If my dolls had been showing their faces while acting as the Artist, that would’ve been troublesome in a lot of ways.’
During the Yeouido incident, my doll’s face had been visible, but ever since then, I always operated while wearing the mask artifact.
So even if my dolls walked openly on the streets, no one would recognize them.
After all, they’re dolls—it’s nothing to swap out their faces.
Some people might treat my dolls as criminals while the Artist is wanted, but that’s all.
Even if insults were thrown, unless they were directed at me personally, hearing them hurled at a doll carried no weight.
‘In conclusion, this doesn’t affect me much at all.’
But apparently, my mother and Mirae didn’t think the same.
“Mirae. Do you know how to access that national petition thing?”
“Just a second, I’ll show you right now.”
The two of them pulled out their phones and started navigating to the National Assembly’s public petition system.
No doubt to draft something along the lines of “Withdraw the Artist’s wanted status.”
I doubted many people would agree to such a petition.
But the two of them seemed to believe it might be effective.
Mirae even went as far as posting a defense of the Artist on her social media, probably realizing the reach she had online.
‘Though honestly, I doubt a petition will be enough to lift the wanted notice.’
I simply watched the two of them absorbed in their task.
… It felt wrong to ruin their enthusiasm with reality.
“Thanks for the meal.”
While they poured their attention into that, I finished eating, set my bowl in the sink, and quietly retreated to my room.
Unlike them, I had something else to do.
… Not anything grand, though. Just a diary.
After all, I am technically an elementary school student, which means I have to write summer break diary assignments.
And not just any diary—one where I’m forbidden from starting entries with words like “Today,” “I,” or even finishing with “It was fun.”
‘… Making up words like this is such a hassle.’
No wonder Cao Zhi, who composed the Seven-Step Poem, is so respected.
Thinking that, I wrote about my trip to the amusement park yesterday.
‘… If only time could pass a little faster….’
Playing the part of an ordinary elementary student wasn’t easy.
Time passed, and on another day, Mirae and I had brought Lee Ha-eun with us up the mountain where we usually trained.
“Wow… So you and Mirae unni always hung out here?”
“I told you, we didn’t play here, we trained.”
“Unfair!”
Ignoring our words and just repeating “unfair,” Ha-eun made us both laugh awkwardly.
Her cram school was on break today, so she was spending time with us.
Even though her break only lasted three days at most.
“Ha-eun, how much magic have you learned so far?”
I switched the subject, not wanting her to keep whining.
“Mm? Ah, only four spells so far….”
She answered with a discouraged expression.
Well, of course.
‘At that age, the curriculum only teaches a very limited set of magic.’
Naturally.
They wouldn’t be teaching offensive spells to elementary or middle school kids.
So the most she would’ve learned were support or utility spells.
“What four?”
“Um… Light, Water, Heal, and Shield.”
At her words, Mirae gasped in admiration.
Light and Water are everyday spells, easy enough even for lower-grade elementary kids to learn.
But Heal and Shield—though still considered basic support spells—aren’t something usually taught at her age.
‘Those are typically taught to upper graders or middle schoolers.’
But Ha-eun was different.
She would one day be known by the alias Serenity, the first dual-ability awakener.
Her fame came from being a dual-ability user, but her title, Serenity, had a completely different origin.
‘A genius of support magic.’
It wasn’t that she couldn’t use other magic.
But the way she used support magic was on a whole other level.
Thanks to her, parties who entered dungeons with her rarely suffered casualties.
‘Monster attacks almost never broke through her support magic. And even if they did, recovery was immediate.’
Thus she earned the alias Serenity, meaning peace.
If the title of “Saintess” hadn’t already been used abroad, it probably would’ve been hers.
Considering her talent, learning only four spells so far actually seemed few.
Still….
“You’ve learned a lot.”
“… I guess… But compared to Gun-woo….”
I gave a flat response, and Mirae nodded knowingly.
She had been shocked at Ha-eun’s abilities for her age, but then remembered that I, her peer, was far more abnormal, and calmed down.
‘… Honestly, my abilities aren’t much compared to the two of them.’
Anyway.
Ha-eun eagerly demonstrated the spells she’d learned.
When we clapped and praised her, she got so excited that she kept spamming Light and Heal.
But no matter how talented, she was still a child, and her mana reserves were tiny.
“Ugh….”
I caught her before she collapsed from mana exhaustion and gently flowed my inner energy into her.
Not recklessly, like when I had scrambled a criminal’s brain before, but carefully, the way I usually did with Mirae, so as not to harm her.
The energy reached her middle dantian—her heart.
‘… She’s growing well.’
Her mana reserves had been drained by her earlier spell spam.
But her aura was different.
As a dual-ability awakener, she possessed both magic and aura.
Because of the suggestions I’d implanted in her, she wasn’t aware of her aura, but it steadily grew alongside her mana.
She had no talent for direct combat, so it was better if she never realized her aura existed and never used it.
‘But it’d be a waste. As her mana increases, so will her aura.’
So I intended to give her a way to expend that aura.
Through a familiar.
Of course, I wouldn’t be the one to teach her here—I’d do it through Mirae.
“Ahem!”
“… Ah, right.”
At my cough, Mirae remembered her role and asked Ha-eun:
“Ha-eun, don’t you want an animal friend?”
“An animal…? But Mom said we can’t keep a dog or cat….”
“I already talked to your mom about it.”
Ha-eun’s eyes widened.
And Mirae was telling the truth.
She had spoken with Ha-eun’s mother about familiars and received permission.
The reason her mother refused pets was simply that they required too much care.
Familiars, however, were closer to spirits, requiring little attention.
So Ha-eun had been allowed to contract one.
‘Plenty of mages have familiars, after all.’
Though usually only those with abundant mana.
Ha-eun’s mother, being a civilian, didn’t know that and gave her casual approval.
Anyway—
“Unni, I want a puppy!”
Hearing Mirae’s words, Ha-eun grabbed her and shouted.
Mirae hesitated slightly.
For good reason….
‘Normally, familiars are contracted randomly.’
So there was no guarantee she’d get a dog.
Of course….
‘… That only applies when using the standard familiar-contract magic circles sold on the market.’
Naturally, I had no intention of letting Ha-eun use a normal contract.
